Review: Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson

Title: Arcane Circle
Author: Linda Robertson
Series: Persephone Alcmedi #4
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: December 28, 2010
Publisher: Pocket
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Source: eArc from author
Blurb:

After facing down the forces of Fairy in mortal combat, Persephone Alcmedi still must deal with the aftermath. Not only does Seph now possess deadly secrets she must hide from the arcane and mundane world alike, but the dozens of magical creatures who’ve taken up residence behind her cornfield need food and shelter, and there’s still her foster daughter Beverly’s tenth birthday party to plan.

And that’s not all. . . . Seph’s boyfriend Johnny has revealed himself as the wærewolf Domn Lup, and the ruler of the wære world is en route from Romania to make sure Johnny really is the “king” he claims to be. But Johnny’s hiding a dangerous secret: his magic is locked in his mysterious tattoos. He and Seph must find a way for him to reclaim it—fast—despite those who have no intention of letting Johnny gain his full powers. Seph knows that, in the arcane world, strength is always a necessity and power must be constantly proven, but how far is she willing to go to succeed . . . and at what cost?

I've enjoyed the previous three books of this series and that doesn't change with Arcane Circle. Seph has to deal with the aftermath of the battle fought in the previous book, like did Menessos survive? What about the Elementals that were freed? And what happens now that people know Johnny is the Domn Loup? All of this is solved, plus we finally get to meet Seph's mother and find out what she has been up to.

My favourite parts of the book were the ones where we meet the other powerful weres, they were very scary, and when we finally meet Seph's mother, she has been a huge mystery for three books and it was nice getting to meet another important and until now silent player.

While a lot of questions are answered and plot points are closed, I wish the relationships between the main characters could have been more developed, especially the one between Seph and Johnny. I love the direction Johnny's character is taking, little by little he's becoming more confident and sure of himself and I really can't wait to see the other weres acknowledge him as Domn Loup. As for Seph, she's still discovering how complicated is being the Lustrata, but she's adjusting the best she can to her situation, and that's what makes her such a good heroine.

To me, this felt like a transition book. A lot of loose ends were tied but there were almost no new plot points. I hope the next book deals more with Seph and her role as Lustrata. All in all, this was a great addition to this incredible series. I can't wait to get my hands into the next book!

Memorable Lines:

Dr. Lincoln turned to Kirk. "Would you fetch some towels from the bathroom? Wait, I-I didn't say fetch because you're a … I mean, I would've said it that way to anyone."
The handsome Asian wære smiled and replied, "That political correctness shit is for pansies who can't stomach the truth."

Previous Books:
1. Vicious Circle
2. Hallowed Circle
3. Fatal Circle - Review

Rating:

Interview + Giveaway: Linda Robertson

Arcane Circle, the 4th Persephone Alcmedi books will be released on the 28th of this months. Today we have the author is here answering some questions.

After facing down the forces of Fairy in mortal combat, Persephone Alcmedi still must deal with the aftermath. Not only does Seph now possess deadly secrets she must hide from the arcane and mundane world alike, but the dozens of magical creatures who’ve taken up residence behind her cornfield need food and shelter, and there’s still her foster daughter Beverly’s tenth birthday party to plan.

And that’s not all. . . . Seph’s boyfriend Johnny has revealed himself as the wærewolf Domn Lup, and the ruler of the wære world is en route from Romania to make sure Johnny really is the “king” he claims to be. But Johnny’s hiding a dangerous secret: his magic is locked in his mysterious tattoos. He and Seph must find a way for him to reclaim it—fast—despite those who have no intention of letting Johnny gain his full powers. Seph knows that, in the arcane world, strength is always a necessity and power must be constantly proven, but how far is she willing to go to succeed . . . and at what cost?

How many hours a day do you dedicate to writing? Do you write in a specific place?
It depends on the day. If its a snow day and the boys are home from school (we just had 2 in a row...sigh) I got zero hours of writing in. When they get to ride the big yellow bus, however, I write at least 3 hours a day but usually more like 6 hours, and then I pick up an hour or two in the evening once dinner and the homework checking is complete.

Do you have any new projects in the works?
I am working on book five of the Persephone Alcmedi series. I reworked an old manuscript in between books four and five, but I'm still not sure its ready for others to see it. :-)

If you could hang out with one of your characters, which one would you pick?

Johnny. Wait, maybe Menessos. I could say Nana, but she's so much like my mom and my aunts that I feel like I hang out with her anyway.

What can you tell us about Arcane Circle?

Sometimes, searching for the past leaves a head-slap on the present.

We know that Persephone is the Lustrata. What exactly does that mean? How long has it been since there was one?

Well, everyone thinks they know. The witches have their idea. The waeres have theirs. Even the vampires have a take on that legend. Persephone's going to find out first hand and, if you keep reading, you will too. In the mythos, the last Lustrata lived a about two thousand and thirty-some years ago.

It seems like little by little Persephone has to deal with more and more problems. Is this going to escalate as more people find out she's the Lustrata? How many people know?
Oh yes. (Mwahahahahaha!) The big-wigs of the witches, waeres and vamps all know, but aren't sure what to do, if anything should be done, etc. That starts unfolding more in book five.

After the events of Fatal Circle, do the witches hold a grudge? Is persephone going to have any allies there?
Some do and some don't. To say more would point to spoilers I have planned for future books.

In Arcane Circle we finally get to meet some powerful werewolves. How do they feel about Johnny being the Domn Lup?
Alpha's don't like to share power. Some out of nowhere wannabe-rockstar suddenly appearing and claiming to be the Domn Lup and take a big piece of their pie? Yeah, they are NOT happy.

After everything we've learn about Menessos, he still feels like a big mystery. Are there going to be any surprises in that front? Can you tell us anything new about him?
Behind the vampires is a mystery that Persephone will have to unravel slowly. As for Menessos...well, he might be dead. Hee hee.

One on the things I liked the most about Fatal Circle was the introduction of the elementals. What is going to happen to them? Can you give us any kind of information about them?

They play a big role in the theme of Arcane Circle. There's a lot of construction, a lot of change going on at the farmhouse in order for Seph to keep them safely. They'll be around a while; they have much to do as her destiny unfolds.

Thanks so much for being here today, Linda.

Aww, my pleasure! Thank you for having me!

You can learn more about the author on her site.

Linda is also giving away a signed copy of Arcane Circle.
International
Ends on December 31st.
All you have to do is fill out the form.

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Review: Fatal Circle by Linda Robertson

Title: Fatal Circle
Author: Linda Robertson
Series: Persephone Alcmedi #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
There was a time when Persephone Alcmedi thought her life was hard to manage, what with wondering how to make sure she took adequate care of both her grandmother and her foster daughter, Beverley, whether she’d end up in the unwanted position of high priestess of a coven, and whether her wærewolf lover, Johnny, would resist the groupies who hang around his band Lycanthropia.

But that was before the fairies started demanding that Seph’s frightening, unpredictable ally—the ancient vampire Menessos— be destroyed . . . or the world will suffer. Seph and Menessos are magically bonded, but that’s a secret she dares not reveal to her fellow witches lest they be forced to reject her and forbid her use of magic. And, despite the strain this casts on her relationship with Johnny, as a showdown with the fairies nears, she and Menessos badly need the wærewolves as allies.

Life, death, and love are all on the line, but when destiny is calling, it doesn’t help to turn away. With the individual threads of their fates twisted inextricably together, can Seph, Johnny, and Menessos keep the world safe from fairy vengeance?

After the events of the previous book, Seph has to deal with the consequences of her actions, especially since they could start a war with the fairies and a lot of people now know that she's the Lustrata.

Seph has matured a lot since the first book. In this one we see her make some tough choices as well as sacrifice herself for what she thinks is best, for what she believes in. One of the best things of this series is the relationship between Seph and Nana, her grandmother. We don't see her much in this book, but she rocks the scenes she is in. I love reading her sarcastic remarks!

This is a Menessos oriented book. That doesn't mean we don't see Johnny, but he's not as much in it as the previous books. Menessos was a big mystery until this book. Before we only saw him as a really good manipulator, with very powerful skills and powers, and at the end, he couldn't be trusted. But in this book most of that changes. Seph learns to trust him at least a little and we also learn much more about his past and his abilities. I loved seeing how the vampire world worked and learning everyone's position in it.

Johnny has a lot to overcome in this book. We know he's loyal to Seph, but he has to adapt to the vampire lifestyle as well as steping up for the werewolves. It was really fun seeing him and Menessos trying to work with each other.

The bad guys this time are the faeries. They are going to kill as many of Menessos/Seph's allies as they have to until they get what they want. I was expecting more of them. I don't know, I guess I just wanted them to do more damage at the end (although they do kill some important people).
Another of the things I loved was the explanations about the elementals (you're going to have to read the book if you want to know).

All in all, it was a satisfying entry to the series, with a great balance between action and character development.


Memorable Lines:

"Now you should go," I said. We'd already established that both of us knew the bond between us had inverted and I was the master. He had to obey. Or so I hoped. It was my strong suspicion that he wasn't going to prove an obedient servant.

"Hold on, Red." Johnny jerked the pull chain on the overhead light. It was a harsh hundred watts. "I want the vampire to explain how he got past the wards."

Good question.

Menessos stood. Directing his reply to me, he said, "Perhaps the details are not meant for your lover's ears?"

"Perhaps you're wrong." Johnny was obviously not going to back down, even for someone who'd kicked his ass a few weeks ago.

"It's a magical secret, and should be hers to share. Or not."

"Oh." I realized Menessos meant his binding to me superseded the wards I'd created. "That."

"What?" Johnny asked.

Knowing he needed to feel he was one up on Menessos and to be shown that I trusted him, I said, "The binding allows him access." While that was true, it wasn't the full answer. I hadn't yet explained to Johnny that Menessos was bound to me, and not the other way around.

"Figures." Johnny pointed at the stairs. "But now you can go."

Previous Books:
Vicious Circle - Persephone Alcmedi #1
Hallowed Circle - Persephone Alcmedi #2

Next Book:
Arcane Circle - Persephone Alcmedi #4 - December 28th 2010.


Rating: